Let's take a look at the American League standings.
The Detroit Tigers have officially passed the Toronto Blue Jays at the top of the standings. The Houston Astros are a game and a half ahead of the Mariners in their division…
And the Yankees are back in the first wild-card spot.
When you look at it, the Red Sox's defeat (the tough one), which lacked opportunism against the Orioles, means that the Boston club is now officially behind its Bronx rivals in the standings.

The series between the two clubs, which starts tomorrow, will be very interesting.
But more than that: the Red Sox (and the Mariners) will have to keep an eye on each other. Why should they? Because the Royals are really pushing at the back of the last clubs to qualify for the playoffs.
The Royals are on a five-game winning streak. Clearly, KC is hungrier than the Mariners, Red Sox or even Guardians, who are half a game behind the Royals.
KC is currently two and a half games out of the playoffs.
In the Nationals, the Mets are still in a precarious situation. Their lead over the Reds is just one small game, and even though the New York club has won its last three games, nothing is certain.
Pitchers will have to hold on.

The Chicago Cubs, who won twice yesterday against the Brewers, and the San Diego Padres are in a better position. But what's true now won't necessarily be true a month from now.
After all, the Red (7-3 in their last 10 games) are hungry, too…

- Blue Jays pulled by veterans.
Living in a world in which both George Springer and Max Scherzer have turned back the clock and are playing integral roles in a likely division title is incredible. #BlueJays https://t.co/UbWFU8WJLD
– Jenn Smith (@Baseball_Jenn) August 20, 2025
- Astros: 28 straight scoreless innings.
The Astros have been shut out for 28 CONSECUTIVE innings
pic.twitter.com/x0ZlAyJFkP
– B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 20, 2025
- Thursday off for Shohei Ohtani.
Shohei Ohtani will be off on Thursday, Dave Roberts said. Will Smith will likely DH. It's Ohtani's first true off day this season (missed two games in April while on the paternity list).
– Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 20, 2025
This content was created with the help of AI.